Freddie Ljungberg brought his experience and energy to the Boleyn Ground in July 2007 when he ended a nine-year spell with Arsenal.

The former Sweden captain quickly settled in east London although injury was to hamper his hopes of regular runs in the first team. He did make 28 league and cup appearances in his first campaign, scoring two goals, and finished it by signing off his national-team career at the Euro 2008 finals.  He cited a desire to focus on his club commitments, and stressed he was a long way off from overall retirement.

Born in Vittsjo, the active young Ljungberg joined Halmstads at the age of five, and also played several other sports including ice hockey and handball, for which he was called up to the national youth squad. He made his senior first division debut aged 17 against AIK on 23 October 1994 and went on to make 139 appearances - scoring 16 goals - for the club.

After winning his first full cap for Sweden against the United States in January 1998, he then starred in Sweden's Euro 2000 qualifier victory over England nine months later. That dazzling performance persuaded Arsene Wenger to splash the cash in a £3m deal and, on 20 September 1998, Ljungberg marked a memorable Highbury debut by stepping off the bench and sealing a 3-0 win against Manchester United with the first of his 72 goals for the north Londoners.

The Swede enjoyed immense success during his time at Highbury, where he made a total of 328 league and cup appearances. Indeed, he helped Arsenal to a Premiership and FA Cup double in 2002 and another Premier League title in 2004. Having scored in the 2002 final victory over Chelsea, he also picked up another two FA Cup winners medals in 2003 and 2005 and was runner-up five times in the chase for the Premier League (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005) and a loser in the 2001 FA Cup final, too. He also collected a runners-up medal in the Champions League final against Barcelona in May 2006.

In July 2007, the vastly experienced attacking midfielder sought a new challenge and duly moved to the Boleyn Ground before making his debut against Manchester City on the opening day of the 2007/08 season. He was to grow in stature over the season although a rib injury late in the campaign led to a frustrating finish.

On the international stage, the Calvin Klein underwear model represented his country at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals plus the 2000, 2004 and 2008 European Championships. His involvement in the latter finals came as captain but, despite being acknowledged as his country's star performer in Switzerland and Austria, he was not able to help them beyond the group stage. He then announced his retirement from national-team football on 27 June 2008, after 75 caps, to focus on his club commitments.